Beauty and the Beast
by twiliunicorn
Summary: A retelling of the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" in a Spectrobes alternate-universe. Contains Professorshipping (Kate/Wright), and Spikans. May be Rallen/Jeena at some point. Rated T, just in case. [Warning: this is the first fanfiction I've written in a while]
1. A Beauty but a funny girl

**A/N"**

**I know that I published a story with a similar concept in mind, but I decided that I really didn't like the old one, and I really had no clue where I was going with it. I was saddened by the lack of any fanfiction for this ship (in fact, there aren't many stories that have these characters mentioned at all. Also, at the time of this chapter being published, I have about 80% of the story drafted, and I plan on uploading each chapter after they're proofread. Hopefully this story will progress without any grammatical mistakes and continuity issues that are too painful.**

**All characters and the story this fanfiction is based on do not belong to me**

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><p>"A beauty... But an odd woman"<p>

Was among the muttered comments that Kate was accustomed to hearing, and as such she had conditioned herself to brushing it off as she sat wherever there was space to sit; reading and neglecting whatever task she had been sent into the village to do. Be it for pleasure, or for the sake of continuing her father's research, she "wasted" time which her uncle believed was spent socializing and doing other things befitting of "a lady of [her] age."

Kate's mother and father had been claimed by an illness which has swept through her former town, leaving her in the care of a man who knew her well enough to be her uncle. The man-Aldous-had worked with her father in the investigation of an ancient technology that may or may not actually exist, though he seemed to believe he had enough proof. When the rather elderly (and rather hairy) man adopted his coworker and friend's daughter, he moved away promising that he would see to it that the research was continued and the girl would be settled properly.

Aldous had insisted on more than one occasion that Kate shouldn't involve herself in the business of her father, but the girl showed intellectual prowess which enabled her to practically absorb knowledge and make of it what she would. And as the years passed, Kate grew increasingly brilliant, and increasingly beautiful, but was growing ever closer to the age by which she would be deemed not marriageable.

Books tucked in the crook of her right elbow, and a basket in the other, Kate returned home. She set the two thick volumes she had been looking over in their respective gaps between other tomes residing in the great wooden bookshelf, and set off to find Aldous.

The first place she always looked for him was the study. This was the room where most of the books relevant to the research were held, along with maps, notes, field samples, and diagrams. Kate gave the door three quick knocks before being admitted inside.

"You're home a bit later than usual" Aldous commented, so engrossed in whatever he was looking over that he hadn't an interest in looking up at her. "Not as if that's an issue. I know you can handle yourself."

Kate smiled. "It seems a lot of other people don't, unfortunately."

"Bah! These provincials couldn't see a strong woman if she smacked one of them upside the head. I'd leave this damned place if it weren't for the fact those ruins your father was chasing after were so close..."

She leaned over his shoulder, examining the spread of papers over the desk: a map of the area with several potential areas for the ruins to reside circled by a compass, an encyclopedia of extinct fauna, some scrawled field notes, and a drawing of... A creature that Kate vaguely recognized. "Do Spectrobes have something to do with this?" She asked.

The old man's bearded face lit up. "A man came stumbling into the tavern one evening insisting that he'd seen a beast nearly the size of a man while cutting wood deep into the forest. Many dismissed him as delusional, but I recorded his description and found a creature very much like it in this encyclopedia. The Spikan: the second-stage evolution of the Spiko line."

Kate couldn't help but feel a hint of disbelief, but chose not to voice it. "And I'm guessing that not only did this man see something like that in the deep woods..."

"His location-and therefore the beast's location-was approximately within the search area. Kate, it seems we've more ancient things to deal with than previously thought."

"Spectrobes were never actually hostile when they were abundant. You speak of this as if we have something to worry about."

"Given that the Light-Beasts are so rare now, I can't be so sure. We know very little of what happens when a Spectrobe has no master. Once the Masters' bloodline all but died out, they seemed to simply... Disappear." Aldous seemed to have only just notice that the basket Kate still held onto was an indication that she had gone into town and bought the supplies he had requested. "Ah, I had forgotten you went to town to fetch some things for me. Just leave it here, if you please."

Kate set down the basket, full of things like quills and ink, paper, and a collection of odd items which seemingly had no real purpose. But all this talk of mapping and circles and odd creatures made her wonder: when would they go together to investigate? Kate straightened her back and cleared her throat. She had asked the question several times before, and Aldous had always dodged the question for whatever reason.

"With all this new information in hand, when will we get our chance to get out in the field and actually search for evidence of the civilization and technology my father was looking for?"

Aldous seemed to stiffen, as if the question made him uncomfortable. He hadn't responded with anything but indifference in the past, so this circumstance greatly worried Kate. "You see, my dear..." (he only ever used that term of endearment when he was breaking news that she might not take well) "I will be leaving in the time of about three days, and will be gone for no less than a week, but no more than a month. You will remain here, as upon my return you will be introduced to the man I've arranged for you to marry."

Kate found herself both physically and emotionally taken aback. "Do you mean to imply that you arranged my marriage without so much as letting me know?"

"You must understand. Kate, this winter you'll be coming into your twenty-seventh year. Many people believe that is an age well beyond the hopes of a woman marrying. I promised to your dying mother and father that I would ensure you were married to someone capable of taking care of you."

"Didn't you say minutes ago that I could handle myself? I don't need a husband. I understand that you made a promise, but how do you know this man won't treat me like a pretty object to be confined to keeping his house and bearing his children? Do you think that's what my parents would have wanted?"

The man's tone grew sterner as he spoke once more. "This man is a merchant. His family is not only particularly wealthy, but also has connections to the university in the capital city. I'm presuming that this connection might give you the chance that I never could on my own. The world loathes nothing more than an independent unmarried woman, but there are times in which you must bend to a world that you haven't the power to change."

Having no argument left to make, Kate backed away and left with a practiced composure despite the melting pot of emotions churning inside of her. She knew this day would have come eventually, but had presumed that Aldous would at least give her some say in the arrangement. Though she knew it was inevitable due to the circumstances, she had never actually wanted to marry. The arrangement was confining and political, but Aldous thoroughly believed it would help her.

Frustrated and exhausted, Kate settled down onto her bed the moment she entered her room, lying on her side and thinking. She wondered what this mysterious wealthy merchant was like. If he was older than her, younger than her, what he might look like, and how he would feel about her intellectual pursuits. In fact, she hadn't so much as a name-only an occupation.

After the time of a few hours had passed and the sun was well below the horizon, Kate forced herself to stand up and dress for bed. The only nightgown she owned was a shade of pale yellow the indicate it at one point had been white, it's various rips and fading stains signature of a garment that had been well-worn. She'd had the thing since she was in the transitional age between child and adolescent, and it took well into her teens before it finally fit properly. The slightly tattered hem which had at one point dragged on the floor was now just below her knees, the sleeves that had at one time covered her hands and would have to be pulled up so she could use them were now comfortably resting at her wrists, and the neckline which would almost always fall down her arms back then now rested comfortably on her shoulders. It was looking at herself in the mirror with her wavy black hair hanging loose-let down from where she had tied it at the nape of her neck during the day-in the nightgown that had taken years to fit her perfectly, that she realized just how much she looked like her mother, and why this was one of the few things belonging to her deceased parents that she still kept.

And so she fell asleep, thinking of her mystery fiance and the unusual beast that existed somewhere within the woods which surrounded her village.


	2. An Unexpected Introduction

Three days passed as usual, save for the fact Aldous was spending most of his time preparing the supply cart for his journey into the deepest parts of the woods. He estimated that it would take around a day's worth of travel to reach the area where he would begin his search, if the conditions were agreeable enough.

Kate was mostly passive in expressing her frustration. She had always known her mentor as man who honored his promises-especially a promise that was made to a dead man. But this research... Her whole life had more or less revolved around it!

Aldous returned her coldness with solemn and unspoken understanding. He loathed how cruel the idea seemed, even if it was only so due to poor timing.

The day of his departure was just as bitter as Kate had imagined it. The embrace she gave him goodbye was tinged with the betrayal she felt, and it lingered as she watched the cart and horse vanish down the dirt path.

There was nothing she could do at this point. There was no sense in trying to follow him, and there was equally no sense in attempting to make a journey of her own without any supplies. Nothing to do but wait.

And sometimes she thought about him, being all alone. Aldous had been a warrior-one of the finest in fact. He had aided her father as hired muscle and saw his fair share of fights. But Kate had lived with him since she was very young, and as she came into adulthood watched as their roles slowly began to reverse. His back and joints were beginning to trouble him. The strength in his sword arm had faded from two decades of disuse. And wolves and bears didn't discriminate between the old and the young. They didn't take pity on an old man with little money who only sought to discover the lost history of an ancient people.

As much as Kate loathed to think of it, perhaps that was why he had arranged her marriage like this. Because perhaps Aldous was just as aware of his own mortality as she was.

Four days and four nights had passed when Kate heard the sound of a horse coming down the road. Whoever was coming in this direction was going terribly fast. What she discovered upon emerging from the house and investigating perplexed her.

The short, stout pack horse somehow ran the entire way back. His eyes were wide as he stamped about, obviously both frightened and exhausted from the long and very sudden trip.

Most ominous of all was the lack of Aldous.

All of the supplies were still in place, which seemed to rule out bandits. Most importantly, the map was still there, which provided at least some means to search for him.

Without taking much time for consideration, Kate did what needed to be done.

The journey was as normal as could be expected most of the way. The horse wasn't too exceptionally skittish-that is until they reached a point it seemed that the beast wouldn't move past. Climbing down from the cart, Kate found a story written into the mud. Hoof prints, human footprints, and the tracks of a wolf told her everything she needed to know about what had gone wrong.

With enough coaxing, she managed to set the cart on a course where the footprints branched off in a different direction, and was relieved to see the point at which they continued but the wolf tracks stopped.

Her trail lead her away from the path and onto a more obscure road, eventually arriving at a most unusual place. They went past a half-opened iron gate.

Kate continued (albeit with heightened caution and curiosity alike), and the gate leading to what appeared to be a large courtyard. Though it appeared to be overgrown and disorderly now, she speculated that it must have been quite neat and orderly at one time. Despite the unchallenged growth of many shrubs, vines, and flowering bushes over the stone pathways, the place held the eerie beauty of a place that had been abandoned for a long time.

The cobblestone path led past gate, around a stone fountain covered in a fine, green moss, and up to a set of cracked granite steps leading to a huge double door with large brass knockers. The building itself was huge-a manor befitting some kind of nobleman. Just as abandoned looking as the courtyard, the shingles faded in color, the white stone tinged brown, and many of the window-boxes full of the crusty brown remains of flowers that had long since died.

Kate tied the horse up near the gate and crossed the courtyard. She stood before the large door, suddenly at a lost as for what to do. Does one knock on the doors of abandoned mansions? The answer was likely no.

However, if this was the place Aldous had fled to, perhaps he would be around to hear it? Whatever reservations she had about whoever might still be living here, they vanished the moment the weight of the knocker came down against the door.

A minute passed, then five, then ten. Kate considered just entering. She also considered turning and leaving-though that seemed to be a much more cowardly option. Not to mention, very hypocritical of someone who always sought to comprehend the unknown.

Heavy footsteps. Muffled and distant, but grew closer every second. Someone was going to answer the door. Someone large. It opened with a low creaking noise and the mansion's occupant appeared before her.

It was nearly identical to the rough drawing of the creature Aldous had shown her, with but a few physical differences. For one, the beast-the "Spikan"- was wearing a man's clothes, a loose white shirt normally worn underneath a vest, and a pair of brown trousers. The mane was surprisingly orderly looking and tied at the nape of the neck with a black ribbon, but seemingly couldn't escape it's wild nature, sticking up here and there. It was also unlike other depictions of the beast in that it's hair was very much a chestnut color. The eyes were the change she was a bit thankful for. It seemed most Spikans sported purplish red irises that stood apart starkly from solid black scleras, but this beast had brown eyes, though their human-ness was somewhat unnerving. Whatever this creature was and what had become of the master of this estate, it seemed to display at least some degree of awareness of it's own appearance. An astounding discovery, as the beasts of light were believed to be just that-creatures composed of somewhat sentient light with little neurological capability beyond fighting evil. This was quite an astounding discovery.

Although-that was the scientist in Kate speaking. The more rational and human part was begining to take over, and throw her into a panic. The beast seemed to notice this and reacted accordingly.

"Wait! Please don't-" the Spikan exclaimed as the heel of Kate's boot went over the edge of the step, throwing her off balance. The beast rushed forward with a speed and dexterity Kate hadn't seen before, and gripped her with a surprizing gentleness by her shoulders and carefully righted her. In that moment of brief, and uncomfortable physical contact, Kate felt herself pressed up against the beast's chest to find that he smelled much more of a man than of an animal.

Once the Spikan released her from his grasp and backed away, she stood awestruck. The only coherent sentence she could form was:

"What _are_ you?"

The beast gave a large sigh and Kate could see a mixture of sadness, worry, and a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If you would come with me, I could offer a proper explanation over tea and a fire."

A late-autumn chill had seeped into the air, and Kate found herself shivering and the offer of warmth was very inviting. Without a word, she nodded and entered with him.


	3. The Monster's lament

**An: Since this whole fanfiction has been drafted out and gathering dust in my computer, I've finally decided to polish it up chapter by chapter so I can finally say that I finished this beast (no pun intended). Updates should be pretty quick, but the editing of some chapters might take longer than others. This one, for example had to be almost entirely rewritten -shudders-**

**anyway, I've rambled enough. Reviews and positive feedback are appreciated! **

He ushered her into the manor, not ignorant to his guest's lingering discomfort despite his efforts to remain as gentlemanly as possible.

Kate observed upon entering that the interior fared only somewhat better than the exterior. It seemed as if the Spikan had taken at least some effort in maintaining the appearance of the large entryway, although it was apparent enough that the task was too much for him. Cobwebs and dust were everywhere, but the place wasn't completely falling apart.

"It's rather unusual for two people to arrive here after such a long time," the still nameless host began "... Or perhaps it's not particularly unusual. I suspected that someone might come looking for him. Perhaps you're his daughter?"

"Another human here? And 'he'? You'll need to be more specific." Kate replied, filled suddenly with hope and relief.

"Older, perhaps sixty or seventy, graying red hair and a massive beard-" He needn't describe the man any further, Kate already knew precisely who this was.

"How did you find him, and where is he now?" There was a slight accusatory edge to her voice that she didn't quite intend.

"He was injured running from wolves and happened upon this place. I suppose he was desperate enough for help that he would accept it even from a monster." He sighed. "Your father is recovering in one of the empty rooms here, and he's being treated with all the dignity I would give a guest in any other circumstance if that's perhaps what you were worried about."

Kate blushed slightly with embarrassment. She had been quick to judge, although she felt it was somewhat justified given the sheer strangeness of this situation. "He isn't actually my father, Aldous is my mentor. My father died researching an ancient civilization, and he left it to him to continue it. That's the only reason he came here. Because nearly three decades of searching for archaeological evidence pointed us to a place near here."

The Spikan's eyes widened somewhat. "It seems your father and I come from the same line of work. In fact, the only reason my manor was built here was due to the proximity to the ruins I was investigating. Perhaps you and your mentor could offer some insight I might have missed."

He brought her into a den with two large-backed chairs, and a shallow table between them. Before the furniture was a lit stone fireplace.

The two of them sat together and discussed research and the ruins. Kate told him what little she knew of her father, how Aldous had come to essentially adopt her. And as all semblance of tension seemed to dissolve between them, she somewhat sheepishly mentioned the one dream she had never spoken of before.

"If I make enough of a breakthrough with something like this-I could become an academic authority on archaeology and history. Perhaps even become a Professor at the university in the Capital. Although... I haven't even given my name yet, have I? It's Kate. Well, actually Katherine but that's far too formal sounding."

"Professor Kate does have a charm to it." The Spikan remarked, "and your aspiration is a worthwhile one."

"I... Thank you. Though I feel like I must ask-who-and what are you?"

"An excellent question. I can assure you that I wasn't born with a body like this, though I can tell you're bright enough to have had this suspicion all along. However unlikely it may seem, there's no explanation for my state other than a power beyond us. It's quite literally a curse that I've had to endure for nearly ten years, and I'm afraid that all hope of it ever being broken might be lost soon.

"My family noticed my genius early on, and were mostly supportive and encouraging of it. I attended a university well before they would have normally admitted me, and several years of study later, I became a Professor. My parents had quite the massive fortune, and I had an estate built nearby the place where I would be doing most of my field research.

"However they didn't want the scandal of their son being a so-called 'confirmed bachelor', and I was coerced into marrying a woman from a lower noble house. So we were wed, and..." He gave a heavy sigh and seemed almost embarrassed. "When it came time to... Consummate our marriage, I simply couldn't. I apologized profusely and told her that I couldn't do that to someone I scarcely knew. She was livid. Placed a curse on the entire manor, gathered her things, and vanished. No one at court knew that the woman was a witch-and I-bound forever to this place so long as the curse remains in place, will never be able to tell this story."

A silence stretched between them.

"Your own wife cursed you?"

"I'm not quite sure she was ever actually my wife to begin with. However, this does present an opportunity I'd like for you to consider."

"What kind of opportunity," she inquired.

"Your mentor is in no condition to put a physical strain on himself investigating the ruins, and I can see to it that he is escorted safely home. If you would continue the research in his stead, and aid me in discovering the nature of my curse and perhaps help me find a way to break it, I might be able to become a human once again. And if I can return to the University, I might just be able to find a place there for you."

"So I help you break the curse and investigate the ruins, and you'll put me on the path to doing something I had only ever dreamed of?" Kate was somewhat overwhelmed.

"This curse goes beyond affecting only myself. All of my staff are in a similar state." He raised a massive paw to try and smooth back his hair, which only seemed to disobediently grow messier.

Kate straightened herself and smiled with newly renewed confidence. "Then I only have one question: What might I call you?"

"Just Professor would be adequate, but it's been quite a long time since I heard my first name spoken, so I'd prefer you just call me Wright."


End file.
